As stated in the Loizzi U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,043,172 and 4,975,292, the consumption of coffee continues to be high all over the world. In the U.S., the consumption of coffee during the years of 1980-1985 averaged over 10 lbs of coffee beans per person per year and on an average of about 261/2 gallons each person per year. Thus, coffee continues to be an essential beverage regardless of the concern to cut back on caffeine consumption. A recent development has been the increased use of flavored gourmet coffees. These coffees are generally in powdered forms and flavored, as with chocolate, mocha, etc. Some flavored coffees are provided in coffee bean form having flavoring agents, as for example, vanilla beans mixed with coffee beans to impart a desired flavor. Both types of coffees are quite expensive and have disadvantages of the powder not having the taste of freshly brewed coffee and the beans requiring grinding before brewing. Both types restrict the coffee users variety by providing the user with only one preselected flavor at a time. The instant invention, however, allows the user to choose from a variety of predetermined flavored paper filters that have been treated with, but not limited to, preselected flavored oils, i.e., essential oils and/or artificial flavors, etc. which upon drying, are individually sealed to keep in their preselected flavor, yet are packaged so that a variety of flavors can be offered within a package, thus providing the user with the choice of making a regular pot of unflavored coffee by eliminating the flavored filter or using a predetermined flavored paper filter when desired.
There is a need, as disclosed in the Loizzi U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,043,172 and 4,975,292, to provide coffee of varying flavors without the need of expensive powders or coffee beans. Loizzi primarily teaches the use of preselected fibrous flavored inserts, which are placed on top of or inserted into a filter that has been redesigned to accommodate said insert by providing a pouch or pocket to hold the insert. Although Loizzi also discloses flavoring the filters themselves with any saturation method for flavoring and any method for drying the filters, Loizzi does not teach such a method for making a paper filter that is preflavored. Furthermore, Loizzi only discloses the impregnation of the bottom portion of a filter with a flavor. One of the objects of the instant invention is to provide the consumer with a filter that is treated with a preselected flavored organic oil, i.e., essential oils, and the method used to process the paper filter with a predetermined flavored oil so that the filter is impregnated with a preselected flavor without changing the design structure of the filter, as taught by Loizzi, or adding an object to the filter such as a predetermined flavor insert or inserting the insert into a pouch or a pocket of the filter. The instant invention is an impregnated paper filter that is flavored with, but not limited to, preselected organic essential oil(s) that impart a predetermined flavor to coffee upon contact with hot water using, but not limited to, a process described herein, which has not been previously taught.
The Levy U.S. Pat. No. 5,192,571 shows adding materials to filters to eliminate chlorine from tap water. The application of thiosulfate to the filters is applied with a mixture of gelatin and water. Although the instant invention uses a gelatin and water mixture in its process, such use is intended to assist in the blending of the preselected flavored oil base so as to obtain a desired consistency before treating the filter with the oil blend and thereby locking in the predetermined flavor within the filter, which in turn provides a predetermined flavored coffee once the brewing process is completed. The object of Levy is to eliminate a substance such as chlorine from water. Levy teaches away from the instant invention since the instant invention imparts a predetermined flavor when it comes into contact with water and is not intended to eliminate a particular flavor, such as chlorine, as taught by Levy.
The Howerin U.S. Pat. No. 3,126,284 teaches infusing an attached carrier with various flavoring agents such as sugar, milk, cinnamon and other spices to flavor beverages. Howerin teaches the use of an infusion unit that holds the taste modifying agents. The infusion unit is designed to have individual areas each impregnated with a single different taste modifying substance. Howerin does not teach how to impregnate the infusion unit with a preselected flavored oil, such as essential oils, as is taught in the instant invention. Howerin teaches that the taste modifying substance is enclosed within a carrier. Howerin's invention is concerned with the structure/design of the infusion carrier, which allows the flavoring to become enclosed therein. The instant invention teaches a process whereby the filter itself is treated with, but not limited to, a preselected flavored oil, i.e., essential oil(s), so as to obtain a predetermined flavored paper filter without changing the physical structure of the filter.
Similarly, the Stephenson U.S. Pat. No. 3,006,764 discloses impregnating tea bags with a sweetening agent.
The Spiselman U.S. Pat. No. 2,926,088 discloses a method for coating filter media with various materials so as to render said filter paper nonporous for a predetermined period after being subjected to water, thus providing a filter that is nonporous for an initial period of time so that the coffee can be extracted from the comminuted bean by hot water. Further, the flavor of the coffee can be modified by the addition of crushed eggshell to the ground coffee by dispersing the eggshell into the coating. The filter media is passed through a tub of soluble agent or sprayed on and then dried. Even though Spiselman teaches modifying the flavor of coffee by adding eggshells to the coating, Spiselman does so to enhance the flavor of the coffee. Spiselman does not give the consumer a choice of a flavored cup of coffee by using a paper filter which is used in the brewing of coffee, that is impregnated with a preselected flavor i.e., essential oils, as taught by the instant invention. Spiselman teaches a method of brewing coffee to enhance the original flavor of the coffee. Spiselman does not teach or suggest the instant invention, which is a predetermined flavored paper filter that, when used to brew coffee, provides a flavored cup of coffee upon contact with hot water.
The Maggiore U.S. Pat. No. 2,835,587 shows treating coffee or tea filter paper with mannitol (a sweetener) to preserve coffee flavor. Once again, the invention is concerned with the preservation of the coffee flavor so that the impregnated bag containing the coffee may be brewed in a hot cup of hot water without loss to the desirable taste and flavor of the coffee and so that the coffee will have a fresh fragrant flavor. As with Spiselman, Maggiore is concerned with the brewing aspects of the coffee and the enhancement of the coffee's original flavor and not with providing a predetermined flavored paper filter that is used in the brewing of coffee to offer a consumer a variety of flavored coffees that are only presently offered through the purchase of expensive flavored coffee beans or powdered form coffee or expensive flavored syrups, which are added directly to the ground coffee.
The Harriman U.S. Pat. No. 2,330,884 shows a combination of coffee, sugar, and cream contained in a paper filter and coated with a warm syrup and egg white protective shell. As with the other prior art references, Harriman neither alone or in combination suggests the teachings of the instant invention.
The Goldsworthy U.S. Pat. No. 2,324,662, issued on Dec. 9, 1919, teaches creating a container holding coffee and sealing in the strength and aroma of the coffee by spraying the container with a coating of heated gelatin. In Goldsworthy, the container, metal in texture, is coated. Goldsworthy does not teach the process of taking a food substance, i.e., preselected flavored oils, and blending those oils with other substances in order to form an oil based mixture that can be applied to a conventional paper filter, which is used in the brewing of coffee in order to obtain a predetermined flavor coffee filter that provides, upon contact with water, a predetermined flavored cup of coffee.
There is a need to provide the consumer with coffee of varying flavors through the use of a predetermined flavored filter without the need for expensive powders or coffee beans or expensive flavored syrups thus allowing the consumer the choice of having a non-flavored cup of brewed coffee or a flavored cup of coffee using the same coffee blend.